Misty smoke curled up from the silverware on the shelves, filling the Headmaster's office with the air of a fortune teller's tent. Dumbledore folded his hands and leaned back in his high-backed chair. Light glinted off his half-moon glasses, giving him the look of the most powerful white wizard.
"So, Professor Dumbledore, you and Mr. Flamel got lost in Egypt, which caused you to be unable to return until the reversal day, when you found the way and desperately flew back?"
Sterling, also shrouded in smoke, spoke clearly. Dumbledore couldn't help but awkwardly adjust his glasses.
"Actually, it was because someone interfered with the space around that ruin. We couldn't break through by force. If we had tried, the torn spatial turbulence might have sent us to ocean trenches or volcanic craters."
Dumbledore used drinking tea to mask his embarrassment.
"But Mr. Flamel just yesterday complained through the two-way mirror that under your leadership, he 'ran around like a headless chicken'?"
"Sterling, you must believe me. If that old Nicolas had led the way, we'd still be roasting scorpions in the desert."
Dumbledore stirred the unmelted sugar cubes in his tea with a huff. Good grief, Nicolas Flamel. I went out of my way to look after you, even let you have two extra scorpions every time we caught them!
"Then—why did you go to Egypt?"
"Because of Harry—or rather, the Mirror of Erised."
Now that they had finally reached the topic Dumbledore wanted to discuss, he sat up straighter. The smoke from the silverware thickened, filling the room with a sense of wonder. He opened his mouth, almost like a wandering poet:
"Long, long ago, there was a meteor shower—"
"Professor, I still have Potions class later. I'm afraid Professor Snape won't forgive me for being late or skipping class just because you kept me?"
All right, all right. Dumbledore reluctantly kept his one-hour epic story to himself.
He and Nicolas had crafted this story together when bored in the desert. He felt that if published, it would rival Lockhart's adventure series.
"Then let's keep it brief. In 1290, Devon County had a meteor shower. The Muggle world didn't observe its existence. This meteor shower wasn't discovered until it appeared below the cloud layer."
"Meaning its trajectory was invisible to Muggles. Even ordinary wizards couldn't observe it. The magical world kept no records of this meteor shower either—sufficient proof of its peculiarity."
"And Devon County—coincidentally, Nicolas passed through there at the time. Though he hadn't yet researched the Philosopher's Stone or become alchemy's most renowned name, he was already a wizard standing at the pinnacle."
"Therefore, through long pursuit and research, he reached a conclusion no one else could possibly believe. This meteor shower didn't come from outer space. Quite the opposite—it came from beneath our feet, from this planet."
"What?" Sterling questioned. "If it erupted from Earth, why would it fall from the sky? To send a meteor shower skyward, such geological activity—"
"Oh? Sterling, your knowledge scope exceeds my expectations. I believe even in the Muggle world, you'd be an excellent, exceptional student. There is an old saying I like—'true talent always shines through.' Something like that."
"However, Sterling, you forgot—I said this meteor shower's trajectory was invisible to Muggles and even ordinary wizards. It wasn't part of nature, but a miracle of magic."
"Overflowing from Egypt's 'gateway,' crossing lands and oceans, falling in Devon County's sky. Why it overflowed from Egypt we don't know, but why it fell in Devon County—Nicolas and I both believe it was 'chasing' Nicolas."
"Nicolas was in Devon County, so it fell there. If Nicolas had run to Orleans or Rome, it would have followed him there."
"Because through this meteor shower, Nicolas found Avalon's gates and obtained Alchemy Magic's engraving in Egypt's deep valley."
"Yes, this meteor shower came from Avalon. It was materialized magic power and some Avalonian magical items, even some building fragments."
"And the Mirror of Erised was one such magical item."
At Dumbledore's signal, the mirror, which had been strictly protected since Harry Potter's collapse, rose up from the side. Sterling noticed that the surface was covered in cracks.
"'I show not your face but your heart's desire.' We so easily believed its self-introduction. However, it didn't actually deceive us. It used a difficult-to-expose lie to cover its true 'instruction manual.'"
Dumbledore gently stroked the inscription atop the mirror. Surging magic power poured in like rivers flowing to the sea. This magnitude of magic flow made even Dumbledore frown slightly.
Sterling's mouth opened wide. With the magic infusion, complex patterns appeared on the entire frame, gradually outlining a sinister small dragon.
He called it "sinister" because once it was fully outlined, it started moving across the mirror's surface. It had a strange pull, and Sterling couldn't look away.
Of course, even without the attraction, Sterling absolutely wouldn't turn his gaze away.
He concentrated, engraving this small dragon's shape into his mind. Then he pulled out his Maleficent's Dragon book.
Nearly identical.
This is part of Dragon Magic's pattern. Judging by the effect, probably part of "extracting power from emotions"?
Dumbledore injected the final magic, then released his hand. The inscription atop now read "I grant you not precious courage but Utopia for your escape."
"Who could imagine a small mirror actually requires half a great wizard's magic power—one who broke wizard limits—to reveal its true appearance?"
Dumbledore drank his tea, somewhat dissatisfied as he tossed in another sugar cube.
"Of course, this is Nicolas's fault. Years of Elixir of Life pulled him back within wizard limits. He nearly drained his magic without seeing this mirror's true appearance—and even then, he didn't bother telling me."
"Though Nicolas's alchemy in the present world is undisputedly at the pinnacle, unfortunately, Avalonian creations are truly beyond reason. Even Nicolas didn't realize this mirror also bore a function connecting to Avalon, even if only for mental transmission."
"Regrettably, just one-time use."
Dumbledore glanced somewhat regretfully at this mirror that had lost its function, retaining only the framework.
If it still worked, no matter the side effects, Nicolas would definitely risk everything to visit Avalon.
If not for Sterling not yet reaching his envisioned state, Dumbledore would probably be unable to resist Avalon's temptation. For those obtaining engravings, Avalon meant opportunities to complete them. Even if unable to complete them, understanding and experiencing Avalonian magic could enhance oneself.
"So you investigated the Mirror of Erised?"
Sterling also thought of Dumbledore's mentioned "special circumstances" that allowed him to bring friends into Avalon.
How conveniently had these "special circumstances" come about?
Dumbledore nodded.
"The Mirror of Erised came from Egypt's erupted meteor shower. Then, besides Avalon and Devon County, Egypt had the highest possibility of having clues about it."
"And indeed, we had some unexpected gains. You know, Sterling, though I don't mean to boast—being called the greatest white wizard isn't undeserved."
"Nicolas and I conducted day-and-night research at Avalon's gates. We finally barely pried open a corner of that mist."
Dumbledore spoke easily, but the hardships weren't bearable for ordinary people.
That was Avalon. What they managed to uncover wasn't even the magic barrier that isolated Avalon, just the fog that hid its existence. Still, it was the most valuable achievement of their careers.
"This naturally couldn't let Nicolas and me enter Avalon. But you, relying on your talent, bringing several more people isn't really a problem."
I see. Sterling nodded.
"I understand, Professor. So you were trapped in Egypt because of this?"
"No." Surprisingly, Dumbledore shook his head.
"Avalon wouldn't mind our little disturbances. We safely left the valley. Then, as we prepared to leave Egypt and return to Hogwarts, my Headmaster authority was split in half."
"Split in half?" Sterling repeated.
"Yes. Half my castle management rights were ripped from my body by an inexplicable force. Immediately, space was torn open, trapping Nicolas and me in Egypt."
Dumbledore pulled out a deep yellow contract. He gestured for Sterling to look at the signature at the bottom.
"Albus Dumbledore"
Half was dazzling gold. The other half was nearly transparent, barely visible.
"Even now, the Hogwarts authority in my hands still hasn't returned to its complete state. Portraits—not just portraits, but also some suits of knight armor. Their castle observation results partly flow to me, partly to unknown places."
"This is actually the most remarkable part, Sterling."
"Headmaster authority—this is a magical contract created during the Four Founders' era. It's not just a simple alchemical creation. Within it is condensed the Four Founders' magic—ensuring Hogwarts' Headmaster can forever bear the responsibility of protecting students."
"Perhaps understanding the importance of this authority is difficult. But maybe you've heard the legend about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts professors can't serve longer than one year. This is true, stemming from Voldemort's curse on this position."
"And this curse used Hogwarts' authority—of course, not Headmaster authority, but Founder descendant authority. Voldemort sacrificed this authority to curse this course. Even I'm powerless. I can only wait for the caster's death to lift the curse."
Dumbledore didn't dare attend magical school headmaster gatherings anymore. Previously, when Armando Dippet was Headmaster, Hogwarts was famously renowned throughout the magical world.
Actually, Hogwarts was always prestigious—after all, Europe's first magical school. The Four Founders' legendary status exceeded other schools' founders.
But now? Transfiguration and Charms were still excellent. Potions had the youngest Potions master, Snape, which made it stand out as well. But Defense Against the Dark Arts? Nothing.
It was like a strong adult with a lame left leg. No matter how strong, he might not be able to beat someone who was unremarkable but healthy.
This was Hogwarts' current predicament.
Dumbledore dreamed of restoring Hogwarts' glory. Coincidentally, this merged perfectly with eliminating Voldemort.
With this example, Sterling understood. He proposed a hypothesis:
"Could it be other Founders' descendants? After all, if Voldemort could use Slytherin descendant authority to curse Defense Against the Dark Arts, other descendants might also affect your Headmaster authority?"
"No. Founder descendant authority and Headmaster authority are completely separate—they never overlap."
Dumbledore shook his head. "The Four Founders deliberately separated them to prevent Hogwarts from becoming dynastic like pure-blood families. Founder descendants' authority amounts to little more than ceremonial privileges. The Headmaster holds the true power over Hogwarts."
"Let's temporarily ignore the spatial turbulence's creator—because if pre-arranged, only someone at the pinnacle without breaking wizard limits could barely achieve it."
"And the person seizing authority—not Voldemort or his companion—must be particularly familiar with Hogwarts' Headmaster. Not necessarily me, not even necessarily Armando."
"He's someone frequently contacting Headmasters, even frequently observing Headmasters exercising authority. He's been rooted in Hogwarts for years, even having a unique status within Hogwarts..."
Dumbledore's eyes held no confusion. Rather than profiling the culprit, he'd already identified them. Now he was just working backwards from the answer.
"Peeves."
"Peeves?!" Sterling asked, surprised. He'd just suspected portraits and hadn't expected this twist.
"Yes, Peeves."
Dumbledore removed his glasses, wiping them with a cloth.
"But Sterling, you needn't deal with it yet. It's nearly finals, isn't it? This semester's Hogwarts can't withstand even the slightest shock."
"Set aside unmanageable matters. Right, I heard you're planning to sweep the grade's top seven?"
"Very youthful, spirited idea. I support you. I'll tell Severus to fairly grade Harry and the others—"